Everything's Alright
by Kollene Macintosh
Summary: Georgia Lewkowicz couldn't stand her life. She couldn't stand how everything seemed to be a fight for survival. From an abusive stepfather, to an unhealthy relationship with an ex-boyfriend, to aliens thrown in to spice things up — it felt as though Georgia's life was in a continuous downward spiral. She just wanted it to end. {Part 1 in the 'Everything's Alright' series.}
1. Chapter 1

_Short steps, deep breath_  
 _Everything is alright_  
 _Chin up, I can't_  
 _Step into the spotlight_  
 _She said, "I'm sad,"_  
 _Somehow without any words_  
 _I just stood there_  
 _Searching for an answer_

-Everything's Alright; **by Laura Shigihara**

* * *

"What is happiness to you, Georgia?"

That question — or quote, rather — came from Georgia's stepsister, Ethel. The two girls were watching some _stupid_ Tom Cruise movie called **"Vanilla Sky"**. In some ways, it was interesting, but it was mostly predictable. At least, that's how Georgia saw it. Ethel thought it was the greatest cinematic masterpiece of the early 2000's. It was almost laughable how much she loved that movie. But that _damned_ question — _what is happiness to you?_ Georgia had no real answer to that. She didn't _know_ how to answer that. It felt like a trick question. And while Ethel's need to quote the movie seemed almost like a joke, Georgia knew, deep down, her stepsister was a bit curious on whatever answer was given.

"What is happiness to _me_?" Georgia looked at Ethel with an arched brow.

"Yeah."

"I dunno."

"How can you _not_ know?" Ethel exclaimed, looking at her stepsister in exasperation.

"I've never thought about it," Georgia responded.

There was a long silence between the two girls. A silence that allowed the exchanged words to sink in. There was a truth behind Georgia's words, one Ethel couldn't quite understand. Happiness seemed to be such a simple thing, one that could be easily dealt with. But it was also complicated, fleeting and uncertain. Georgia _could_ say happiness would be whenever her stepfather wasn't at home. She could _also_ say it's whenever her ex decided to leave her alone for a day. But then she'd have to relive the painful experiences that came with her stepfather eventually coming home and her ex deciding to contact her the next morning. So, in Georgia's mind, she felt she never truly knew what happiness was.

Ethel, on the other hand, felt she had a clear grasp on the word. She had healthy relationships with other people, including her stepmother, Georgia's mom. She was a straight A student, she was very social and outgoing — the list could go on. In Ethel's mind, _all_ of those achievements equaled happiness. That was something Georgia felt she had taken from her at an early age.

"I feel like you know what happiness is," Ethel admitted, breaking the silence. "You're just too stubborn to really _see_ it."

"Am I?" Georgia asked.

"Yeah."

"And how do you know this?"

"We've practically grown up together, Georgie," Ethel murmured. "I know you."

Scowling at the nickname, the teen crossed her arms over her chest. Was she stubborn? Was Ethel right? It was a bit unnerving, thinking about how stubborn she could be. Georgia didn't _want_ to believe she was, but there was a small possibility that her stepsister was right. Note the word _small_.

"Look, I don't know what happiness means to me," Georgia sighed. "I don't know if I'll _ever_ know what it means."

"Just think about it, okay?" Ethel said. "Maybe one day you'll finally come to a conclusion."

 **`.`.`.`**

Georgia could remember a time before her mother remarried. A time before Ethel, a time before that son-of-a-bitch Jayson — a time _before_. It was a very brief moment, one that felt too short. It didn't feel right, it didn't feel _good_ , the briefness of that moment. To Georgia, it felt incredibly unnatural. Her parents had divorced when she was barely a year old, and her father took off once everything was finalized. Mother and daughter never heard from him again. Things were nice for a couple years, then Jayson showed up. Georgia hated him from the beginning, but her mother wouldn't listen.

Jayson McNamara was a three time divorcee, having a total of four kids between his three ex-wives. Georgia's mother didn't care. The couple married only a year after meeting. It was a very unhappy time. The fighting began almost immediately after the wedding.

From the honeymoon onward, Jayson and Georgia's mother fought almost constantly. From the moment they woke up, to when it was time for bed, there was guaranteed yelling, screaming, and things being tossed around. Georgia had grown accustomed to it. Ethel, Jayson's eldest daughter from his third marriage, had grown accustomed to it, too.

The only downside to the marriage were the kids' relationships with their new stepparents. Ethel and her siblings/half-siblings had a decent relationship with Georgia's mother, Dianna.

Georgia, unfortunately, had a horrible relationship with Jayson. He verbally abused her almost daily. Dianna hardly ever intervened. No one seemed to have the balls to stand up to Jayson.

That was the first reason why Georgia seemed to not know what happiness was.

 **`.`.`.`**

At fifteen, Georgia had a boyfriend for a very short while. It barely made it over two weeks before ending. Her ex-boyfriend, a junior named Ishmael, had shown immediate interest in the teen at the beginning of the new school year. Georgia was flattered at the attention, and went along with Ishmael's flirting and playful attitude. They started dating a month later. Barely two weeks in, Georgia broke it off.

Ishmael proved to be a huge douchebag. He didn't take the break-up well.

Georgia made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with her ex — no contact, nothing. Ishmael didn't take the request seriously. He contacted her almost religiously, begging to be taken back and then calling her names. Georgia never wavered in her initial decision. She documented everything her ex-boyfriend sent her, and every little moment of _almost_ physical interaction between them. Ishmael never had the balls to confront her about anything since the break-up. It was almost laughable.

That was the _second_ reason why Georgia didn't know what happiness was.

 **`.`.`.`**

Relocation. That was something almost everyone had to go through. For whatever reason, people at one point or another had to pack up and leave because of _some_ thing. For Georgia, it was because of a sickly family member. One she had never met before, because they were on her _father's_ side of the family. Again, Georgia's parents divorced when she was young, and she never maintained contact with her father's relatives. Dianna, for some unknown reason, seemed to hold good standing with a good number of her ex's family.* It was weird.

So, because of the news of some unknown sick family member, Georgia, Ethel, Jayson, and Dianna moved from their home in New Jersey to some no-name city practically across the country. It sucked, it really did.

That was the third reason why Georgia didn't know what happiness was.

 **`.`.`.`**

In reality, the teen could go on forever as to why she didn't understand Ethel's question. What did happiness mean to _her_? Why did it come across as so _important_? Who knows? Maybe Georgia _would_ figure it out after some thought. Maybe she _never_ would.* It was hard to say.

Letting out a sigh, Georgia ran a hand through her hair. A slight scowl came across her face as her fingers tangled in her matted curls.

 _God, I wish I could cut it all off,_ she thought. Not even a second later, a bit of guilt bubbled a little in the teen's stomach. Georgia, despite how frustrating it could be, did like her hair to an _extent_. For her, it was a little too curly, a little too hard to manage, but there were always upsides.

Dianna would always say that Georgia inherited the Lewkowicz curls, and it was something to be proud of. Apparently, the curls were one of the more prominent features in Dianna's part of the family. Georgia could've cared less, honestly.

What _Georgia_ saw as important was getting through the day. She wanted to survive a whole day without being bombarded with all the negativity her personal life seemed to bring. From Jayson's relentless abuse to Ishmael's constant harassment, it felt as though life was looking for any way to bring Georgia down. There was a constant need to just overwhelm and overstimulate and completely _irritate_ the teen. But she managed to make it through day in and day out without so much as a complaint. That was something Georgia took to heart, the not complaining. If anyone outside her family found out how unhappy she was, then questions would be asked. If anyone found out how unhappy she was with Ishmael's constant presence, then questions would be asked. Georgia didn't have that kind of time or patience.

And Ethel seemed to have the audacity to ask what happiness meant. . .

There was no definite way to answer that. God, there probably never would be.*

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **Sorry for the wait on the chapter, but I hope you guys like it. If you've got any form of constructive criticism, don't hesitate to give it. I'd greatly appreciate it.**

 **The TRANSFORMERS franchise does not belong to me. All I own are my OCs, my subplot(s), and the shoes that I wear. If you have ideas for OCs or subplot(s), don't hesitate to PM me or let me know. I'll add them in as soon as possible.**

 **Be sure to leave a random fact in the review section. Old or new, I'd be happy to hear what you guys know.**

 **Thanks a bunch, my friends.**

 **Kollene Macintosh**


	2. Chapter 2

_Cross my heart and hope to die_  
 _You never cross my fucking mind_  
 _Do you know what your little lies do?_  
 _You know what I had to fight through_  
 _Nothing that you say is mildly true_  
 _Spit deceit through shifty smiles_

-Honestly (Encore); **by Gabbie Hanna**

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **First off, I'd like to apologize for the wait on what would've been a chapter. I had an idea, but then I got so sidetracked by other things that everything I had planned for this chapter just fizzled out, so. . .**

 **Anywho, I sincerely apologize for not having an actual chapter for you guys to read and whatnot, but I promise you that the next upload I do, there'll be something. So I hope you guys can let this one little incident slide, okay?**

 **Other than that, I own nothing in this fandom. All I own are my OCs, the subplots I put in, and the socks on my feet. If you've got ideas for OCs and/or subplots, then be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.**

 **Be sure to leave a random fact in the review section. It could be on something new or on something old, it doesn't matter to me.**

 **Thanks a bunch, guys.**

 **Kollene Macintosh**


End file.
